Feds award $7.5 million to study self-driving vehicles in Ohio

Rick Rouan The Columbus Dispatch @RickRouan

Tuesday

Sep 10, 2019 at 3:53 PMSep 11, 2019 at 7:23 AM

Ohio got an infusion of federal money for testing self-driving vehicles on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $7.5 million grant to the Ohio Department of Transportation and a group of other organizations, including the Transportation Research Center, to develop a statewide demonstration plan to test self-driving vehicles on rural roads. With partners contributing $10.3 million in matching funds, the total investment for Ohio is $17.8 million.

"We've been pushing hard for this grant," U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in a conference call with reporters. "This is something we're experts in in Ohio, and now we'll be at the center of developing it."

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in a release, “These funds will help keep Ohio at the forefront of research and innovation. Developing and integrating emerging transportation technologies now will allow us to invest in our infrastructure for generations to come.”

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Brett Roubinek, president of the Transportation Research Center, welcomed the money, saying testing will begin within a few months and extend over four years.

The grant will "help policymakers by providing data on automated driving systems to put in place regulations" and generate "the information they need to keep everyone safe with this new technology," he said.

The grant is targeted at examining self-driving vehicles on rural roads because most prior research has involved urban roads, Roubinek said. The testing of vehicles on rural roads, with a human driver on board to take over in case of problems, will begin in the second year, he said.

ODOT director Jack Marchbanks said in a statement, “This is a huge win for the state of Ohio. By focusing on 32 counties in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region, studies supported by this grant will be the most comprehensive effort yet to be conducted on our nation’s rural roads.”

In March, Ohio's entire congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao urging her to award the money to Ohio.

This summer, the TRC unveiled the first phase of its $45 million Smart Mobility Advanced Research Test Center, a new test bed that sits on 540 acres in the sprawling East Liberty campus in Logan County. It already has a six-lane signaled intersection, with legs long enough for passenger vehicles and heavy trucks to speed up for testing. It is expected this year to add a simulated urban area with mockups of neighborhood streets and roundabouts and a 10,000-square-foot control building with office space for researchers and space for vehicle preparations.

The SMARTCenter is set up to test automated-vehicle technology such as crash-avoidance systems built into vehicles.

Ohio State University provided $25 million for the project, and the state gave $20 million through JobsOhio and ODOT. Federal funds were awarded to ODOT and a consortium that includes the TRC, Ohio State and DriveOhio, but the University of Cincinnati, plus the cities of Youngstown and Athens, also will have a role in developing a statewide demonstration plan for the technology.

ODOT said testing of automated driving systems will be conducted in all seasons, day and night, and on paved and unpaved roads. Some testing will take place during periods of limited visibility and in work zones.

In regions where on-road testing is to take place, local officials will be invited to help plan the test, and community meetings will be help inform the public about testing in their area.

Ohio has been seeking federal money for the SMARTCenter since at least 2017, when it didn't make the cut.